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  • HermosaBeach - Saturday, June 18, 2005 - link

    A 1600x1080 LCD would cost more than $400.

    I would love to see the ATI X800 as an option with Dell XPS Gen 2 laptop.

    For me, battery life is nice, but not as important as performance. I like the portability, but I don't mind plugging in where-ver I go - airports, friends house, at work, different locations around the house, even restaurants have available power.

    Dave
  • ElFenix - Friday, June 10, 2005 - link

    systems like this should not be called notebooks, much less laptops. more like 'super huge 3 ring binder stuffed full of papers'

    i like how alienware doesn't mention the weight on the 'tech specs' page of the monster. oh, i found it. "starting at 10.0 lbs*" i wonder what that asterisk is for? there is no asterisk as the bottom of the page. lets continue on to configure... oh, i get it, the asterisk tells you that that is the weight without the battery! "12.5lbs with battery"
  • SDA - Wednesday, June 8, 2005 - link

    >>Seeing as I'm not going to spend the time to come up with specifics, I'm going to have to conceed the point. But, the original comment wasn't meant to be insulting, so I wish you'd lighten up. >>
    I'm sorry if I seem rude or insulting, but I hate it when people say that AMD machines (or Intel machines, or Transmeta machines, or DEC machines, or Apple machines, or...) are innately unstable in some way. It's a silly argument on many levels, but one that people take to very easily if they see it. I appreciate your response, fwiw.
  • Hatglance - Wednesday, June 8, 2005 - link

    Seeing as I'm not going to spend the time to come up with specifics, I'm going to have to conceed the point. But, the original comment wasn't meant to be insulting, so I wish you'd lighten up.

    The point of my original post was to add my own first hand observation about the fan noise issue and my general satisfaction with this well built machine.

    To add more perspective to the cost issue, I remember 10+ years ago a high end laptop cost nearly $10k.
  • SDA - Wednesday, June 8, 2005 - link

    >>I do get the thermal and power advantage of AMD, but I'm afraid my comment stands. If anything has really changed with AMD stability recently, I may be proven wrong.>>
    Nothing has changed with "AMD stability". Processors can not be innately instable unless they are defective. It is possible for overheating processors to cause instability, but obviously this is not a problem with the A64.

    Again: do your research before you spew BS.


    >>Problems which are a minor anoyance to the average Anandtech poster are a nightmare to the average gamer who is buying the majority of computers. They want it to work, period. >>
    What "problems"? Are you just assuming that AMD processors must have problems because they aren't in any of the overpriced laptops you've bought, or do you think they have problems because your friends have stability problems? If it's the latter, guess what: just because someone builds an unstable system with component X in it doesn't mean component X is causing the problem. In the case of processors, it is VERY unlikely that the CPU is the problem.
  • Hatglance - Wednesday, June 8, 2005 - link

    re #35

    I do get the thermal and power advantage of AMD, but I'm afraid my comment stands. If anything has really changed with AMD stability recently, I may be proven wrong. Problems which are a minor anoyance to the average Anandtech poster are a nightmare to the average gamer who is buying the majority of computers. They want it to work, period. Developing a laptop is difficult as it is (the reason for the price premium), so offering a choice of Intel or AMD probably isn't an option.

    What has really brought laptops up to speed with desktops is the Mobility 9800 & X800 and Geforce go 6800 cards. Any performance advantage gained with AMD64 is marginal. My previous top of the line laptop was 2 years behind desktops when I got it, so I'm more than happy with the new one.
  • SDA - Tuesday, June 7, 2005 - link

    #25, when are they slated for release? Also, hi.

    #29, but the 9300's a brick.. oh, right, they're all bricks. Good price, then.

    #31, I think "these AMD lovers" are just trying to say that since A64s offer (slightly) better performance in games than comparable P4s AND put out less heat, they seem like much better choices for this application. Also, if you're implying that systems based on AMD processors are somehow innately unstable, you really need to learn more about hardware before you comment on it. (Of course, that goes for most Alienware owners.)
  • Shadowmage - Tuesday, June 7, 2005 - link

    Wow, amazing! This includes the RAM, GPU, etc?

    The nVidia 6800 Ultra go uses 66+W!

    Another GREAT design win for ATI :D
  • DerekWilson - Tuesday, June 7, 2005 - link

    Shadowmage -- you are correct -- 35W.
  • Shadowmage - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    What's the TDP on the X800XT Mobility part? I heard it's 35W, but I would really like to verify it :)
  • Hatglance - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    I haven't had the fan noise problem at all. My Area 51m 7700 is totally quiet. But, I'm running 'only' a 3GHz P4 and GeForce 6800 non-Ultra. This configuration uses a 180 watt power supply vs. 220 watts for the same machine with the 6800 Ultra.

    Hopefully your preproduction (I assume) machine won't be typical.

    Heat is a little bit anoying. I'm left handed and the hotest outflow is a few inches from my mouse hand. Lefties get screwed once again!

    These AMD lovers sound like some friends of mine who tell me how great their Athlon's are as they once again reformat their hard drive.
  • DerekWilson - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    Over the past year notebook prices have fallen 17% and desktop systems 4% (from the same company that showed notebooks outselling desktops last month) ...

    So prices should get closer over time, but building a notebook just costs more than building a desktop.
  • Shadowmage - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    I can get a Dell Inpsiron 9300 with a 6800 go for ~$1200 with coupon.
  • yacoub - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    Well considering I'd spend $1500 max to build a new desktop/SFF (have an LCD already, but say that's a $400 value), and I'd spend maybe $2100 max on a laptop, it looks like the reasonable premium for me is around 10% ($1900 vs $2100) and that's assuming equal performance.

    Considering most people who need a laptop for business use, have one provided by their employer or buy one that is spec'd for business use not gaming, and they will own a desktop or SFF system at home for gaming, the OMG HIGH END gaming laptop is already targeting a much smaller market of gamers who wouldn't mind the extra portability for their main gaming rig. (And let's be honest here - no one's gaming on the move. The battery life alone makes sure of that.)

    They will HAVE to drop their outrageous prices if they expect to sell any reasonable amount of them (or they can continue to overprice them in order to try to turn a profit on limited sales - and by doing so sacrifice future growth for smaller immediate returns).

    It becomes a strategic sales issue where it comes down to whether or not they want to think longterm. They will have to price them competitively now so they increase their future customer base and reap greater profits later. If they continue to be short-sighted, they will never achieve the growth they could with proper pricing.
  • coldpower27 - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    There always gonna be a price premium for that extraq mobility right?
  • yacoub - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    So will laptops always have a bogus 35-55% price premium on them or, if they become more popular, will the pricing start to fall in line with desktops?

    I can build a desktop sans monitor for say $1500 that's essentially top-of-the-line. Throw in a stereotypical Dell LCD for, what, $400. $2k at most.

    Laptop with similar specs/performance (and a smaller display at that)? $3500-4000.

    Ugh.
  • Johnmcl7 - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    Rock are going to be selling this machine with the A64 X2 or FX-55 in the UK:

    http://www.rockdirect.com

    Their forums:
    http://www.rockforum.com
  • msanto - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    Found this by accident (searching for something else). In a D900T chassis (Sager, i.e.), A64 + X800 XT! This is a UK company, though, and of course it's not for sale yet.

    http://www.digitmag.co.uk/news/index.cfm?NewsID=49...
  • yacoub - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    http://www.alienware.com/Configurator_Pages/area-5... then load it up with the specs as tested. aka Too Much. =P
  • Azsen - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    How much do these cost and where cam ypu get one custom made with this chip?
  • yacoub - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    Cooler, quieter, cheaper, and AMD'er, and I'd finally justify replacing my aging desktop with a laptop.
  • msanto - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    OK, how did that blank one get posted? The reason they went w/ a Prescott is because they are using a Clevo D900T, just like Sager, ProStar, and a bunch of others. No P-M option there.

  • msanto - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

  • yacoub - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    Very nice numbers. I'd really like to see how that system does with Rome: Total War, though. RTW is a massive hog of cpu and gpu resources when in real time battles with large numbers of troops and has been shown to crush laptops in the past.
  • Shadowmage - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    BTW you can try Rivatuner, I think that would be more compatible with the X800XT Mobility.
  • Shadowmage - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    LOL

    Yeah I wonder why they went with the Prescott CPU instead of the Dothan, makes more sense with a lower power CPU...
  • DerekWilson - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    heh ... I don't think I wanna try overclocking ... It'd either melt my plastic desk or catch my wooden table on fire :-)
  • DerekWilson - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    coldpower27 is correct -- it uses GDDR3

    Also, I had trouble with powerstrip so I had to wait for a response to my email from ATI on clocks -- sorry for the late update.

    Also, it's a little bit tweaked from the default Sager designs (aside from just the look). They kind of mix and match the parts of a couple differnt Sager offerings. Plus the aliens eyes glow blue on the lid when the notebook is on :-)
  • Shadowmage - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    Doh! You're right :)

    I wanna see overclocked scores please.
  • coldpower27 - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    It does mention it, 480Core/550Memory. Judging by the memory speeds this is GDDR3. Over 1 GHZ GDDR1 is not that common at all.
  • Shadowmage - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    Damn i just noticed that the article even failed to mention the CLOCK SPEEDS it was running at! :(

    Remember that laptop manufacturers love to mess with the clock speeds to artificially enhance battery life and heat.

    Also does it use DDR1 or DDR3?
  • DerekWilson - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    heh ... fixed the second incorrect use of 1024x768 :-)

  • Shadowmage - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    #2: The Prescott will take at least 110W, but the X800XT Mobility will actually use less power than the 6800 Ultra go: 35W vs 66W!
  • Shadowmage - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    Jeez, you're using a default Sager notebook which SUPPORTS the standard X800 Mobility AND the 6800 go (but not the ultra).

    I like to see it compared to both of those for a few more benchmarks, please.
  • bhtooefr - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    No, you didn't ;-)

    "We tested the Alienware system at both 1280x1024 and 1680x1050 (the panel's native resolution). As we can clearly see, the ATI Mobility Radeon X800 XT is no slouch when it comes to pushing pixels around. The **1024x768** numbers are great, but on a notebook like this everyone will want to run native resolution."
  • DerekWilson - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    fixed the 1024x768 typo -- thanks
  • Warder45 - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    Typo on the performance page. Is it 1024x768 you tested at or 1280x1024?

    I have to agree with #3, since Alienware is not locked into intel like dell, they should have gone the A64 route. However even that seems dumb when the Dell XPS with a Pentium-M chip did just as well as a desktop system, and without the heat and noise.

    The only thing keeping me back is battery life. If I could get 4+ hours of full gametime on one battery I'd be good, but 2 hours is just too short.
  • Icehawk - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    A buddy was looking at this machine - looking at the spec's I said it has got to be a nut roaster!

    Interesting that both NV and ATI's laptop products are actually faster than the desktop equivalent from all appearances by a small margin.

    Definitely cool to see that laptops could eventually become the main type of consumer machine with faster 2.5" HDs and these new gen VCs.
  • gibhunter - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    Stupid decision on Alienware's part. Why go with P4 when a similar level of performance can be achieved with mobile A64 or high end Centrino part and the fan noise could be lessened by a great deal with either of those CPUs. Not to battery life and heat output. P4 3800 is a freaking oven. I wouldn't be surprised if you could cook eggs on the underside of that laptop.
  • snedzad - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    I wonder about TDP rating of this "laptop". Who needs this machine, really?

  • draazeejs - Monday, June 6, 2005 - link

    Not bad - more performance on a Laptop than on GF Ultra 6800 desktop :)

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